Say goodbye to a name that brought pride

Published: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 3:38 p.m.

Names matter. They provide identities and often generate a sense of pride. That's why people wear clothing with the name of their favorite vacation destination, sports team or product. Generally, the more local a name, the stronger the feeling.

The fact that the Lexington-Thomasville micropolitan area no longer exists will have almost no direct impact on residents of the two cities or Davidson County. The federal government decided to move Davidson County into the Winston-Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. Davidson joins Davie, Forsyth, Stokes and Yadkin counties in the MSA, four rural counties joining one urban one.

Lexington-Thomasville will lose some bragging rights. Site Selection magazine had recognized the area several times over the years for economic development, including third for 2012 and first a few years ago. Lexington-Thomasville's success could help the Winston-Salem MSA move up in the rankings in its category, but the county no longer will see the spotlight shine solely on what takes place within its borders.

The other four counties should certainly welcome Davidson County with open arms. Adding its approximately 163,000 people bumps the Winston-Salem MSA to 650,000 and cracks the top 100 in the nation. This could open the eyes of some companies that perhaps would not have considered the area previously. So losing the micropolitan designation isn't necessarily a bad occurrence.

One of the unfortunate aspects of the change was the lack of notification by the government. Nothing chafes local officials like decisions made by state or federal legislators or bureaucrats that come without any advance discussion or, worse, any funding. They might still have been powerless to stop the redesignation or even offer any dialogue, but at least they would have known what was coming before the change officially took place.

The other downside to the change is Davidson County finds itself in several different organizations with different members. If county commissioners had known the change was coming, they might have decided to join the Winston-Salem Metropolitan Planning Organization for transportation issues rather than the High Point MPO. County officials may have to keep a reference sheet handy to know which body contains which members on specific issues.

Time will tell whether the change causes any real impact on Davidson County, primarily in the economic development arena. But saying goodbye to the Lexington-Thomasville designation does create a bit of sadness. At least from an economic development standpoint the area went out near the top.

<p>Names matter. They provide identities and often generate a sense of pride. That's why people wear clothing with the name of their favorite vacation destination, sports team or product. Generally, the more local a name, the stronger the feeling.</p><p>The fact that the Lexington-Thomasville micropolitan area no longer exists will have almost no direct impact on residents of the two cities or Davidson County. The federal government decided to move Davidson County into the Winston-Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. Davidson joins Davie, Forsyth, Stokes and Yadkin counties in the MSA, four rural counties joining one urban one.</p><p>Lexington-Thomasville will lose some bragging rights. Site Selection magazine had recognized the area several times over the years for economic development, including third for 2012 and first a few years ago. Lexington-Thomasville's success could help the Winston-Salem MSA move up in the rankings in its category, but the county no longer will see the spotlight shine solely on what takes place within its borders.</p><p>The other four counties should certainly welcome Davidson County with open arms. Adding its approximately 163,000 people bumps the Winston-Salem MSA to 650,000 and cracks the top 100 in the nation. This could open the eyes of some companies that perhaps would not have considered the area previously. So losing the micropolitan designation isn't necessarily a bad occurrence.</p><p>One of the unfortunate aspects of the change was the lack of notification by the government. Nothing chafes local officials like decisions made by state or federal legislators or bureaucrats that come without any advance discussion or, worse, any funding. They might still have been powerless to stop the redesignation or even offer any dialogue, but at least they would have known what was coming before the change officially took place.</p><p>The other downside to the change is Davidson County finds itself in several different organizations with different members. If county commissioners had known the change was coming, they might have decided to join the Winston-Salem Metropolitan Planning Organization for transportation issues rather than the High Point MPO. County officials may have to keep a reference sheet handy to know which body contains which members on specific issues.</p><p>Time will tell whether the change causes any real impact on Davidson County, primarily in the economic development arena. But saying goodbye to the Lexington-Thomasville designation does create a bit of sadness. At least from an economic development standpoint the area went out near the top.</p>